During The Struggle
by Faceslikemine16
Summary: "Don't you see, don't you see now that you're wrong? That this is wrong? The time to be afraid has passed." She kept untangling Astoria's pulling fingers from her wrist. "I would rather die." What if one Slytherin had stayed for the battle of Hogwarts?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N this is a what if story so it is a bit AU but most of it basically follows the plot. Pairings will be mostly canon. However, the main characters are O.C. , oh I am so bad at explaining! Anyway please tell me what you think.**

**Prologue**

_Malfoy Manor 1997, _

She opened her mother's heavy silver compact and looked at her reflection in the cold grey glass. Her large green eyes fringed with thick curving lashes and framed by two delicate dark brows stared back at her. The mirror was really too small to take in anything else. She ran her fingers through her slightly frizzy curls and snapped the compact shut. Held it in the air for the moment touched the cold metal to her lips, and slipped it back into her cloak. She walked quickly through the high gothic gate her shoes crunching against the gravel.

Narcissa Malfoy was standing her back to her. Her silvery hair held up in a single fluid curl down her back. Her palm held out to feed a nearby peacock its emerald neck glinting in the moody purple and gold sunset descending over the Manor. She did not move.

"Are you sure about this?" Narcissa asked, she was not whispering but her voice was dull and did not carry far.

"Yes of course, it's an incredible honour."

"He said that." Narcissa said tiredly, turning on her heel as the peacock with a tousle of blue silver wings began to stalk away into the darkness.

"And he was wrong."

"Cousin Sissy." She began. It is dangerous to say those kinds of things."I know what I am doing, I am sure about this."

Narcissa walked over to her. "And what would your mother think."

She smiled showing up straight even teeth and tossed her hair over one shoulder. "My mother doesn't think anymore."

Narcissa raised a hand to touch her cheek. "You are very beautiful and very young." She sighed.

"Don't waste it."

The night had drawn in a blanket of misty blue, thick and heavy.

"It's time." She said and with that, she walked across the courtyard. To the sleek front door, she ran her finger down the paint. The door glowed electric blue and opened with Narcissa at her heels. She walked through to the dimly lit corridor.

"Miss Black you are very almost late." Said the silk voice

"Almost is the word professor." She said, she could not see his expression behind the mask. But with one flourish of his hand the double doors swung open, she pulled her hood over her head and followed him into the drawing room. Her feet slapped against the black and white tiled floor. The mahogany furniture pushed to edges. Including the ornate table where the last few meeting had been held, the only light came from the crystal chandelier suspended in mid air.

They a circle of black hoods and bone masks stood in the centre of the room. A gap, which she thought could fit about two people, like a mouth yawned open. The dark lord his hand long and skeletal beckoned them through, she did not even pause. Behind her she could hear her cousin, step through the door and slink into the shadows.

"Come, come forward." She walked through the gap. She tried to stop her eyes wondering round the circle looking for a pair of deep brown eyes behind the masks. She looked straight into the snake's bloody eyes.

"Severus has informed me of your talents, I have been most assured of your devotion." She kneels then it feels right.

"My lord there is nothing more dear to me." She promised her eyes on the gently writhing hissing hem of his robe.

"Blood, Blood pure-blood it is the colour of the future." She had a feeling these words were no longer being addressed to her but to the wider room, his voice echoing across the walls.

"With the ministry and Hogwarts in our grasp, it is time to embrace the young and the brilliant, to evolve. New blood. Friends we are winning this so called war, there are left only traitors and… _Harry Potter."_ He hissed. "Yet we must grow stronger."

She reaches out the sleeve of her robe falls back to her elbow. She feels pressure on her hand but she does not look up or close her eyes. She must not show either pain or fear now.

"Will you join us? Will you use your power to purify this diseased country! This diseased world? Will you rise with us, take our place? Will you join Lord Voldermort?"

Words have more power than magic the skin of her exposed left arm pimple, it knows what is about to happen but she does not brace herself.

"I swear my lord." She saw her blood splatter onto the ground before she felt the slice of his wand like a blade and the soft skin tear open.

"Mores Mordant!" The cut was sealed over with a blistering black scar, which began to squirm and wriggle into a snake sliding through the eye socket of a skull. Beneath the cloak she smiled until her face ached and rose, taking one-step back to complete the circle.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

On Sophia Black's seventh birthday, her mother went into St. Mungo's for the first time. It started during her party, after she and Adelaide Murton had a fallen out over whom won pass the firecracker.

"You have to let her win, she's the guest." Her Aunt Hydra said even though it was _her _birthday, she did not like Aunt Hydra much. She was older and a lot less pretty than mummy not blonde or as thin. It was not fair and Adelaide had already stolen two of her large sparkly star clips. _They look better in my hair any way_, she had said tossing her golden curls. But her Aunt did not want to hear it, so before the next party game started, she slipped away fuming into her mother's room. She hated Adelaide, She hated Aunt Hydra and hated parties and hated… as it sometimes did her rage exploded and the windows shattered.

From inside the wardrobe a gasp ensued which made Sophia jump out her skin, the door swung open. Her mother was holding the stalk of a spindly ruby glass in one hand the jagged pieces clattering to the ground the smashed bottle and the fiery coloured liquid pouring down over her robes. Sophia turned on her heel and ran out the room, her mother she could hear her crying began to stagger after her slurring and crashing against the walls. She ran, she ran.

"Sophia, where are you child?" Aunt Hydra turned the corner and Sophia ran into her arms, her earlier fury utterly evaporating. Her Aunt had suddenly become both soft and mountain strong. She could protect her from this strange frightening crying woman. Firmly gripping onto one shoulder her Aunt steered her out the room. The door swung shut in her mother's pink surprised face.

Her Aunt was as ever unmoveable and shooed her into the dining room without a word, for her anxious questions. However, when she was cutting the cake with her wand Sophia thought a larger slice than usual landed on her plate, but she did not want to eat it, or really open any of her presents. When Adelaide skipped off with her hair slides, not giving them back like she promised. Sophia didn't even care. After they were all gone, even though she could stay up half an hour later now she was seven she went to bed at her normal time. Buried herself into the covers and rubbed the ever-changing fur of her soft toy dragon Miranda against her face. She hoped she would fall asleep quickly and everything would be all right when morning came. She did fall asleep quickly but woke confused and shaky. There were loud voices down-stairs. She jumped out of bed rubbing her eyes and rushed through the dark clumsily.

Her elder brother Thomas was sitting on the bottom step still dressed, his stubby dreadlocks held back in a smooth ponytail. He put a lean finger onto his lips as she sat down beside him.

"Tom-"

"Shut up!" He hissed. Something in the next room clattered to the ground.

"In front of your own daughter!" She heard Aunt Hydra say and her mother's illegible wavery reply. She tried to get up, run into the room, and make them stop, she hated arguments, but instead her brother grabs onto her elbow shaking his head. The door began to creak open and they both scrambled up to bed.

The next morning her mother was gone to St. Mungo's, her brother said, a hospital. She cried for a bit, until Thomas said she was being a baby and dragged her out to try out her new broom in the garden. Her tears gone Sophia suspected he came with her mainly to show her how much higher his Nimbus 1700 could go but after awhile. He tossed a ball down to her and she caught it one-handed Thomas seemed impressed and swooped down to her.

"You could be a chaser." He said his deep brown eyes like jewels, thoughtful. She could not help adoring her brother even when he was being moody and leapt onto the praise.

"Really?"

"Yeah…probably."

"What do you want to be?" She asked twisting so she was sitting on the broom like it was a bench hovering in the air.

"A beater probably but I won't be allowed to try till second year."

He sat down too and seeing he was not going anywhere, she took advantage.

"Tommy, why's mummy gone to the hospital?"

He did not want to answer, turned a somersault in the air instead.

"Is she sick?" Sophia pressed.

"Yes-errrr no…yes." He laughed a laugh that did not match his smile and was almost entirely humourless.

"Tommy!"

"She's sad Soph." He said crossly "that's all."

"Sad isn't ill is it? Is it?" But Thomas was souring up, up and away into the blue-yellow sky.

Sophia thought she knew why her mother was sad, Before Sophia was born her father had died, during the last war. She only had one photograph for him with her mother looking as though she might burst with the smile on face her blonde hair piled onto the top of her head, dressed in exquisite lacy silver robes. Her father tall handsome, dark-haired and twinkly eyed smiling, waving and reaching for her. No one talked about her father. She didn't even have his last name.

_Why?_

_Well your parents never really married dear so…_

The only thing Aunt Hydra would say was that her father had been an auror and her mother loved him very much. That was it. Sophia knew better than to ask her mother directly. However, she sometimes told her things, only a month ago after she had had her bath and her mother was brushing out her hair. She said _your eyes are exactly the same colour as his, look at that green darling, nothing like it._

They talked a lot more about Thomas's father, her mother's first husband. He had an important job in the ministry. No one was entirely sure what it was. He wore smart black robes and a small moustache. Which Sophia highly mistrusted, she did not like moustaches Aunt Hydra's husband had one too disgusting large and blonde. He came every fourth weekend on the dot and Thomas out for trips. She knew her brother hated these visits. His father seemed to disapprove of everything, from his son's dreads, to his harmless devotion to his quidditch team Puddlemere United. In fact, her mother normally so vague and distant had once actually lost her temper with her ex-husband and the visits became even briefer. A year or so ago he had remarried and now had another son. She thought Thomas was actually very glad, that someone else had gained his attention.

Her mother came home two weeks later, four days before 1 September and Thomas's first year at Hogwarts. It was clear that the entire family were determined to forget that it had ever happened.

The night before Thomas left, they held a small dinner with his favourite food.

"Not." Her mother said serving up their plates with chocolate cake and fresh cream. She had been much more active since coming home, cooking and painting,

"That you really need it just you wait for that first feast. Hydra darling don't you remember the treacle tart I used to dream of that during the holidays."

"Yes while we were all being half-poisoned by mother's house elf."

"I liked Aga…" Sophia's granny said.

"That's because she was as grumpy as you and you lived off a diet of cigarettes."

Her Grandmother shrugged. "Did your father say good bye darling?" She asked Thomas.

"Yes, gave me a book." He rolled his eyes with disgust. Sophia adored reading but rolled her eyes as well.

"And temporarily forgot all speech except for YOU MUST BE IN SLYTHERIN. YOU MUST BE IN SLYTHERIN." He boomed. Sophia giggled.

"Oh Jonathan is infuriating," Granny began grinning. Her favourite topic of conversation was the faults and failures of the people her children married."

"You're a Black."

"Actually he's an Osei." Sophia pointed out.

Her Grandmother sniffed. "In name only, of course you'll be in Slytherin."

"Mother please he doesn't have to be anything… and Thomas sweetheart I'm sure the book is lovely, you should write and say thank-you when you get there." Her mother said vaguely sitting down.

"I will, anyway everyone knows Slytherin's the only proper wizarding house." He said.

"You've been talking to my husband too much." Their Aunt said. "Of course we will all be very proud of you if you're sorted into Slytherin, but the other houses were founded by good families too."

Granny looked as though she found that highly unlikely. She muttered something that sounded like Hufflepuff.

"Uncle Claudius and dad think Dumbledore is completely nuts."

"Nonsense." Her Grandmother rasped lighting a cigarette. "Dumbledore's as sharp as they come lad. Haven't you read Hamlet? Method in the madness method." She nodded as if all there was too it.

"I think I'll be Gryffindor." Sophia said. "Much rather be a lion than a snake."

"Gryffindor's for idiots." Her brother said, folding his arms across his chest.


End file.
